Hockey Widow wrote:From all reports Lou knew Kovie wanted to go home. He had to talk him into returning after the lockout and allowed him to report late so he could play in the KHL All Star game. I think Lou knew it was going down but as he is want to do he kept a tight lid on it. There are some rumours out there that Elias is quite upset because had he known July 5th that this was going to happen he may not have re-signed there.

I think Lou knew what was going to happen and kept in under raps until the time suite him for the news to get out. I think the promise of not preventing Kovie form playing in the KHL went a long way in helping keep this story from leaking.

I don't for one second believe this was a surprise to him or came out of the blue. It was a managed situation. As it should be if a GM is doing his job.

Agreed with everything but the Elias part.

IMHO Elias either knew all along or strongly suspected it.

It'll be interesting to see what Lou does with the extra spending room.

Strangelove wrote:It'll be interesting to see what Lou does with the extra spending room.

I don't know how much cap room he has under the current ownership, seeing as they defaulted on a loan payment and are having serious cash-flow problems. NJ may be on the downward swing with Kovie going, Clarkson gone and a hope and a prayer coming from the farm. God knows their prospect development system is solid, but I wager it's a non-playoff season for them in 2013-14.

Having said that, the ownership finances side may have sorted itself out by then and Lou may be a player next summer but the latest moves this off-season cry poverty. It`s a franchise worth watching in a Nashville Predators kind of way with ownership.

tantalum wrote:yes he likely just wants to play at home. But it also means he doesn't want to achieve the pinnacle that there is to achieve in his chosen profession. That's fine. It's a choice he has made. No problem with that at all. We all make those choices. But Russian, Canadian or whatever, it also means it isn't the type of competitive nature you hope to have on your team.

Actually, it may be the exact opposite of this. Kovalchuk was raised in Russia. Now what is the pinnacle to achieve for a Russian hockey player? Right; the Olympic gold. Now look at the track record: 2010 Canada, 2006 Sweden, 2002 Canada. You have to go back to 1998 to find a Russian gold.

In 2014 the Olympic tournament will be held in Russia. What better way to improve your chances, than to prepare at home and become an integral part of the core of the team that is forged together through repeated practice sessions for the national team spread out over the season?

My guess is that the desire to win the 2014 Olympic tournament may be a huge part of why Kovie decided to break his contract. He is sacrificing his current career to pursue his childhood dream, to reach the ultimate pinnacle in hockey, the Olympic gold. This is probably the best shot he will ever get at it.

And if so, don't be surprised if he dons the New Jersey jersey again next season.

Per wrote:My guess is that the desire to win the 2014 Olympic tournament may be a huge part of why Kovie decided to break his contract. He is sacrificing his current career to pursue his childhood dream, to reach the ultimate pinnacle in hockey, the Olympic gold. This is probably the best shot he will ever get at it.

And if so, don't be surprised if he dons the New Jersey jersey again next season.

I think that certainly plays a part. However, I don't think there's any real reason to stay in New Jersey. The team is in financial trouble, the fans/media are critical of him if he doesn't score 45 goals/year, and he makes less money than playing at home.

People will say he's left behind tens of millions. But his new contract will likely be $15-$20M per season, and who knows what kind of taxes he'll have to pay (if any).

Frankly, I'm not sure why people are so surprised. As long as he's okay with playing against inferior opponents in a lesser league, why wouldn't you want to play in your home country for more money?

Benjo wrote:The decision for the Devils to keep the 29th pick at the 2012 draft looks pretty silly now that they could be a lottery team this season.

The pressure is going to be on for that Matteau kid, the 2014 draft is also supposed to be pretty deep and there's virtually no way the Devils (would) pick lower than they did in 2012.

Pretty stupid decision by the Devils, maybe they think Matteau is a real gem and maybe they're right but from the peanut gallery it looks awful. Even in 2012 it was pretty clear the Devils wouldn't exactly be likely to be drafting 29th or lower any time soon..

That being said if they actually spend some of the cash freed up by Kovalchuk's retirement they could end up with a pretty deep forward group. I'd bet if they put up a little over half what they've saved they could probably scoop up Grabovski and Brunner.. if they can roll four lines and play a tight system they've probably got an outside shot at a playoff spot - you've got to think Cory can give them better goaltending than either Brodeur or Hedberg have over the last couple of years..

Was Kovalchuk really a that special? His play definitely doesn't deserve the coin he was gettingI guarantee you Lou is happier now to be out if that contract. The Brodeur era is ending, perfect time for a rebuild in NJ. Poor Corey

"I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening? - Plastics." - The Graduate

dbr wrote:That being said if they actually spend some of the cash freed up by Kovalchuk's retirement they could end up with a pretty deep forward group. I'd bet if they put up a little over half what they've saved they could probably scoop up Grabovski and Brunner.. if they can roll four lines and play a tight system they've probably got an outside shot at a playoff spot - you've got to think Cory can give them better goaltending than either Brodeur or Hedberg have over the last couple of years..

I definitely agree that the possibility is there for them to make the playoffs. They have the goaltending, some good D pieces and money to spend on scoring. I like what I hear about Deboer as well, he squeezed all he could out of sucky ass Florida Panthers teams and has already taken the Devils to the finals.

The loss of Kovalchuk and Clarkson are pretty huge though, if memory serves those 2 accounted for 40% of the Devils goals last year. Grabovski and Brunner would be good stop gap players but I don't see them equaling the production (not to mention the size) of Clarkson and Kovalchuk. Clowe was also a good pickup but his offense has dropped off enormously lately, you have to think the Devils are praying every night that he can get it back.

RoyalDude wrote:Was Kovalchuk really a that special? His play definitely doesn't deserve the coin he was gettingI guarantee you Lou is happier now to be out if that contract. The Brodeur era is ending, perfect time for a rebuild in NJ. Poor Corey

Never saw much Atlanta or NJ, but from what I saw, yes, Kovie is that special. Everyone knew of his shot, but he is also a very very smart two way player. Hossa comes to mind but Kovie is a gear or two above that.

Motivation in the stereotypical Soviet hockey player sense appears to be an issue.